Last update: 24/12/2021
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hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a peptide hormone – similar to female LH – and, as the name suggests, is usually formed in the chorion/trophoblast, ie in the placenta and preplacenta cells.
This hormone is very important because it is responsible for telling the woman’s body that she is pregnant. Its main effect is to maintain the yellow body (corpus luteum).
But what is the corpus luteum? After ovulation, ie when the egg cell leaves the follicle that has grown in the ovary, the follicle turns into a yellow body (corpus luteum). This mass is the main producer of the hormones estradiol and progesterone, especially the progesterone that promotes pregnancy. The corpus luteum is programmed to self-destruct in about 7 days unless hCG stimulation by an embryo stops this process. In this case, menstruation stops and the pregnancy continues.
The hCG hormone is thus formed almost exclusively in the embryonic tissue, which is why it has been considered the best biochemical marker of a woman’s pregnancy for many years.
However, it is possible to have high levels of hCG in the blood even though the patient is not pregnant. This is especially true in the case of miscarriage or abnormal pregnancies:
- At a biochemical
- miscarriage, hCG beta is not zero because the embryo implanted itself in the uterus, although its development stopped after a few days, resulting in a drop in hCG levels. Even if the test result is positive, the pregnancy has been interrupted and since it is an early miscarriage, there is no evidence that the woman is pregnant and only a slight delay in menstruation, if any.
- ectopic pregnancy
- An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the embryo implants and grows outside the uterus and the pregnancy cannot be completed. In this case, the beta-hCG usually grows slowly or remains on a plateau.
- Beta decline after miscarriage
- After a miscarriage, the level of hCG in the blood gradually becomes clearer again. However, the decline is not instantaneous, so hCG is often detectable days – or even weeks – after the miscarriage. The more advanced the pregnancy, the stronger the effect.
- Die hydatidiforme Mole
- is a very special and very rare situation in which the embryonic tissue degenerates into a type of tumor that produces hCG (because it comes from the embryo). In reality, then, it is an abnormal, degenerate pregnancy. This is a serious situation that needs to be treated by a specialist.
In addition, there are other situations where hCG is not derived from pregnancy, such as: B. with external injections, ovulation and a germ cell tumor.
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Dr. With. Sergio Roger Cayetano
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Medical studies at the Miguel Hernández University in Alicante, specializing in gynecology and obstetrics at the Hospital General de Alicante. dr Sergio Rogel deepened his experience in assisted reproduction while working in different clinics in Alicante and Murcia until 2011 when he joined the medical team of IVF Spain.
Approval number: 03-0309100
Gynecologist. Medical studies at the Miguel Hernández University in Alicante, specializing in gynecology and obstetrics at the Hospital General de Alicante. dr Sergio Rogel deepened his experience in assisted reproduction while working in different clinics in Alicante and Murcia until 2011 when he joined the medical team of IVF Spain. Approval number: 03-0309100.
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